Distractions
by One-Girl Wrecking Machine
Summary: It started out harmless Just a one night stand between enemies. But they couldn't seem to stop thinking about each other. They couldn't seem to stay away. It had to be ended, though. Shinra would kill her if they knew. So, he called her a distraction. RxT
1. Prolog

Distractions

_I can't let myself be distracted. There are too many tings I still have to do. I can pull through, if I just focus. There are just so many things to distract me, though. I have to stop remembering how her lithe form felt under my own. There can be no more recalling the soft little gasps that escaped from her mouth. I need to stop thinking of how she called out my name over and over in pure ecstasy. There are still marks along my back from her nails, but those will eventually heal. I have to forget her. There can be no more secret meetings and tender embraces. I have to forget Tifa Lockhart. There's only one problem. I love her… _

"Reno…don't leave yet. Just stay a bit longer…" Tifa mumbled softly, grabbing onto Renos' wrist. He gulped nervously, already feeling guilty about what he had to do. Shaking his head sadly, he murmured quietly, "You know I can't, Tifa… What if someone sees me? It's bad enough that I had to come onto the Highwind. You should have come into town, you know… It would have been simpler that way…" Tifa sighed and looked up at him with desperate eyes. Reno gave in and lay back down beside her, wrapping his arms tightly around her nimble form.

"I know all that… But the risk of getting caught was a little…exciting… Don't you think?" Tifa questioned, snuggling into his arm. Reno chuckled quietly, knowing Cloud slept right next door, and gave her a small smirk. "And that's how I know you've been around me too long. I've started to corrupt you…" He murmured, and lightly tapped her on the nose. Tifa gave him a small smile and stuck out her tongue in his direction. "You know you thought it was fun. Every second there was the threat of getting caught. The thrill of risking everything for a single moment of passion…it got you even harder, didn't it?" The suggested made him recoil slightly. He never imagined her to say something like that… He really was getting to her. It was definitely time to let her go.

Tifa gently nipped at his neck and smiled as she burrowed her face into his neck. Reno gave her a small smirk and tucked a long lock of hair behind her ear. "There's something we have to talk about…" Tifa murmured quietly. Reno cast his eyes downward, not wishing to meet her gaze. "I know… There's something I think we should talk about, too…" Tifa swallowed the lump in her throat and gazed up at him with questioning eyes. "Ok, you go first." She whispered, inching closer to him.

This was going to be hard. He couldn't even look at her. As he sat up in the bed, he turned away from her, facing her wall. "Tifa…we can't do this anymore…" He murmured. Tifas' face fell, and tears brimmed in her eyes. With everything she had, she hoped she had heard wrong. "What…?" "No more secret meetings; no more midnight rendezvous; no more sneaking around behind our friends' backs. I just can't do this anymore, Tifa… I have a job, a nice, steady job-" Tifa cut him off, "You're a _Turk_! How can that be 'a nice, steady job'? Everyday we're apart, I wonder whether I'm going to see you ever again! I'm always wondering where you are, and if you've found someone to replace me!" Tifa whispered harshly as she sat up, holding her bed-sheet close to her naked body beneath.

Reno squeezed his eyes shut; he knew this was wrong. "Exactly…there are too many distractions, for me _and_ you. Neither of us can do what we're supposed to be doing, because we're too busy thinking about the other. Every minute, I'm wondering if that ass, Cloud, has tried to jump your bones; if you've been seriously injured, or killed. I never know where you are, and it _kills_ me, Tifa…" Tifas' eyes brimmed with tears and she placed a hand against her stomach. "But, Reno…" She started, but he was already getting out of her bed. He pulled on his pants, and murmured, "We can't do this anymore, Tifa… You and I both know that. All we are to each other is a distraction."

Tears trailed down her cheeks and she slammed her fist on the bed, "No!" She looked up at him and pleaded, "Please, Reno, don't leave me… You _can't_. Not now… You can't leave me now, Reno. I _need_ you…" Reno glanced down at her, and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Tifa…I really am. But…we just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry." He knelt down, and clasped her hands in his. Tifa looked down at her bed sheets as sobs slowly overtook her body. He gently kissed her forehead, and put on the rest of his clothes. "Good bye, Tifa…" He murmured, and quietly exited her room.

The only sound in her room was the small, trembling sobs emitting from her throat. Finally, she looked up at the door where he had exited only a few minutes ago. "Reno, you have to listen to me, though… Because…I'm pregnant…" She murmured,

and broke out into sobs once more.


	2. Month One

**AN/ Hey, guess what? I decided I wanted to continue this story! If you guessed that by the new chapter, then good for you; you get a gold star. Anywho, I thought it'd be nifty if I went back a few months to show you how Tifa and Reno actually **_**got**_** there. After that, I'll jump forward again, to when Reno finds out that Tifa's pregnant. Sounds fun, ya? Woo! **

**Distractions**

**Month One**

Three months earlier...

With a heavy sigh of annoyance, Tifa threw a dirty look at Reno. Supposedly, he was holding her captive. Really, he was just succeeding in pissing her off. After being captured, Reno had been assigned the job of transporting her back to the Shinra building. Tifa was simply counting the minutes until Cloud and the others would rescue her.

"Ya know," Reno said, glancing back at her, "You should be glad all I'm doing is transportin' ya. This would've been a much more interesting trip, if I'd been allowed to do what I wanted." He gave her a meaningful smirk. Tifa just rolled her eyes in response.

"Since when do you do what you're told?" Tifa questioned with a snort, and stretched out on the back seat of his car. The black leather interrior was actually rather comfortable. She snuggled into the seat, back towards the annoying Turk.

Reno snorted in reply, and watched her through the rear-view mirror. His eyes slowly roamed over her lithe form. "Better not drool on the seats. I just got them done."

"I do not _drool_! Tifa cried out in indignification. "Of course, now I'm going to, just to piss you off! Why should _I_ comply with your wishes?" She turned her head towards him and stuck out her tongue.

"No, seriously! I really like these seats...! If I let you sit up front, will you promise not to drool? I'll even untie you." Reno glanced at her through the mirror again, and watched as she chewed her lip in thought.

"Fine." She said, and turned to face him. Tifa held out her bound hands towards him.

Reno rolled his eyes. "Think you can wait 'till I stop the car?"

She looked away sheepishly, and murmured quietly, "If I have to..."

After Reno had pulled over and stopped the car, he helped Tifa climb over the seats and get situated. Then, he untied the rope around her wrists, dropping it onto the floor of the back seats, next to an old food wrapper.

With a smirk, Tifa brought her legs up, and kicked him in the face. Simaltaneously, she opened the passenger door, and launched herself out of the car, via Renos' face. "That was just stupid, Reno." She commented with a charming smile, and took off running towards the nearest city.

A growl tore from Renos' throat as he grabbed his Mag-Rod, and crawled over the seat after her. If she got away, Rufus would have him doing paper work for weeks...

"Get back here, damn it!" He shouted, chasing after her. Tifa glanced back him, and stuck out her tongue triumphantly.

"As if, Reno! Like I'd really wanna be stuck with your pathetic-excuse-for-a-human self for the next five hours!" She called back, and laughed at his shocked face. When he broke out into fits of laughter, pointing at her, she looked back in front...

And promtly ran face-first into a tree...

That was probably bad, wasn't it?

Tifa groaned, pressing a hand against her now pounding forehead. When Reno stopped in front of her, he knelt down and didn't bother to contain his amusement. "Now who's the pathetic one?" He asked with a sneer. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the sound of the hiss.

The pair looked up to see the Midgar Zolom looming over them. "Shit..." He muttered, and instantly jumped to his feet into a fighting stance. With a roll of her eyes, Tifa stood up beside him, raising her fists to attack.

"This ridiculous... Fighting alongside a Turk. What the hell am I thinking?" Tifa muttered to herself, but jumped in to attack anyway. She landed a solid punch, and it wasn't long before the pair had defeated the giant snake.

Tifa gagged as she removed a sliver of snake skin from her hair, and shuddered. "Those things are disgusting!" She declared feverantly, and ran her fingers through her hair, checking for any other body parts that might be hidden there.

Reno chuckled as he put a cigarette to his lips, and muttered, "Yer kinda girly, ya know that? I woulda figured ya for more of the tom-boy type." As the cancer stick caught flame, it started a slow burning process, and filled the air with the acrid stench. Reno flicked his lighter closed, and tossed it to Tifa.

It was an easy catch, and Tifa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as it landed in her palm. Pulling the cigarette away from his lips, Reno smirked as he answered her silent question. "To remember our time together."

As he slinked over to her, Tifa couldn't help a pleasent shudder from running up her spine at the huskiness his voice had held. "What do you mean? You're letting me go?" She asked, watching him like he was a cat ready to pounce on its latest victim, "After all that trouble of capturing me?"

Reno shrugged his shoulders as he stopped in front of her, like it was no big deal. Its not like he didn't realize her friends would eventually come for her; its what they did. "Ya coulda ran, when the Zolom attacked, but ya didn't. Ya stayed and fought, even though I was the one holdin' you prisoner. I figure the least I can do is let ya go..."

Suddenly, he pressed his lips harshly against hers in a hungery kiss, his teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. For a moment she stood there, shocked, just letting him kiss her, but her senses soon came rushing back. Tifa placed her hands on his chest, fully prepared to push him away, but...it felt really nice.

Her mouth open in a moan, and Reno didn't waste any time letting his tongue slide in to explore her mouth. Her hands slowly roamed over his well-toned chest, and she felt one of his arms harshly tug her closer by her waist. When he finally pulled away, Reno rested his forehead against hers as his breath tore raggedly from his throat.

"See ya later, babe..." He murmured, and turned around to walk back to his car. Tifa stood there breathless as she watched him walk away. With a smirk on his face, Reno brought the cigarette to his mouth again, and inhaled.

The smoke didn't seem to taste the same as it had before, though. All he could taste was Tifa...

God damn it.

...One week later, with Tifa...

With a heavy sigh, Tifa let her head bang back against the metal wall on the Highwind. Maybe if she did it enough, she could stop thinking about him. Yeah, that would be nice, right about now. She had _way_ more important things to do, anyway! Reno should be at the bottom of her list of things to think about, right below finding that piece of chewing gum she'd lost last year.

But no.

Instead, she was thinking about him more than she was thinking about defeating Sephiroth. It was distracting. _He_ was distracting. Stupid Reno, with his stupid kisses that left her breathless. Really, he'd had no right to do that, either! He was such an jerk!

Stupid Reno...

A sudden knock at her door nearly caused her to jump out of her skin, and Yuffie walked in before Tifa could give her permission. The young ninja smiled brightly and jumped onto Tifas' bed beside the older girl.

Tifas' cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, hoping to God that Yuffie hadn't learned to read minds lately.

"Wha'cha doin'?" Yuffie asked, cocking her head to the side with a grin.

"Nothing..." Tifa mumbled, grabbing her pillow and hugging it to her chest.

"I'm bored, and I just had about a pound of sugar." Yuffie replied, and began to bounce up and down on Tifas' bed.

With a heavy sigh, Tifa suggested, "Why don't you go steal Clouds' secret stash of hair gel? Or, you could try and steal Vincents' cloak again. That kept you busy for a good hour, last time."

Yuffie waved her hand dismissively, and landed cross legged on Tifas' bed. "Too easy. Give me a challenge, Teef."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "You could always try and take Cids' cigarettes..." Tifa said, and suddenly all she could think of was how Reno had tasted. It had been a mixture of cigarette smoke and liquor...

Another blush rose to her face, and Tifa brought her pillow up to hide behind. This was ridiculous! She couldn't even say cigarettes without thinking about him! Stupid, fucking, Reno! Angerly, Tifa growled and threw her pillow across the room.

Yuffie raised an eyebrow in confusion, and slowly eased herself off of the bed. "I-uh- I'm gonna go now... You, you just get some sleep, or somethin'..." The younger girl suggested, and quickly scurried out of the room. When the door clicked shut, Tifa sighed in annoyance, and folded her arms across her chest in a pout.

...With Reno...

This was ridiculous.

He was sitting in his office, staring at paperwork, and all he could think about was that damn kiss. It wasn't like he hadn't randomly kissed a hot girl and walked away before. Hell, he did all the time. Sometimes it led to sex, sometimes he got slapped, and sometimes he just never saw the woman again.

But he'd never thought about it afterwards.

Reno had never sat for over an hour contemplating the way someones' lips had felt against his own. It wasn't something he did...ever. It was all Tifas' fault, too.

...Ok, maybe it was his fault.

Afterall, he'd been the one to start the heated make-out session in the desert. But it was still her fault, damn it! Somehow...

It was like she cast a spell, and now Reno couldn't seem to stop thinking about her, and that was bad. Because, really, he had work to do. Contrary to popular belief, Reno _always_ got his work done on time.

He couldn't even seem to get through this damn report. After reading the same sentence for the fifteenth time, Reno shoved the manilla folder, and all of its contents, off of his desk to the floor. They seemed to float down in slow motion, and all he could seem to think of was how she'd looked after the battle with the Zolom.

She had been sweating, her hair was disheveled, and her breath had been ragged... All he'd been able to think about was how she would look underneath him.

Reno swore loudly, and pushed back in his swivel chair. He criss-crossed his legs in the chair, and leaned back to stare at the plain, white ceiling. "This sucks..." He muttered, dragging both of his hands through his flaming locks of hair.

Tifa was distracting...

...Midgar, two weeks later...

Of all the luck, Cloud had sent Tifa to chase after Reno through the slums of Midgar. They were a lot bigger then they looked, too. Leave it to Reno to pick an abondoned alley to fight it. There was barely enough room for both of them to walk shoulder to shoulder. This was probably gonna suck...

With a grunt, Tifa swung her fist straight at Renos' face, and he retailiated by swinging his EMR down on her back. She fell to the ground, and rolled to the side to dodge his stomping foot. Once on her back, she kick-flipped back onto her feet, and instantly threw her foot into Renos' stomach.

He stumbled back, and muttered, "Bitch."

With a roll of her eyes, Tifa retorted as she held up her fists, "That was weak, Reno. Come on, can't you think of something a little bit better?"

A chuckle ruptured from Renos' throat, and he looked her square in the eye. "Well, I've got better, but you're far too innocent for me to say those things to." He replied with a touch of amusement.

Tifa glared full-heartedly at him, and swung another fist at his face. He dodged to the side, and shocked her with his EMR. He leaned in close, next to her ear, and added softly, "You've got those virgin ears, ya know."

With a grimace, Tifa stood momentarily stunned, and said, "Yeah? At least I'm not a terrible kisser!"

Renos' eyes widened for a second, but he quickly washed away his look of disbelief. Scoffing, he replied, "Whatever. I'm an amazing kisser, and you know it."

Tifa rolled her eyes again, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever you say, Reno... Look, I'm bored. I think I'll be heading back to the others." She wanted him, but there was no way in hell _she_ was going to make the first move.

Before she could get very far, Reno slammed her up against a brick well, and captured her lips in his. Tifa moaned against him, but quickly pushed him away. This was wrong...

Reeling her hand back, she brought it with crushing force against Renos' cheek with a resounding slap. Renos' eyes widened as he placed a hand against his burning cheek, and a smirk slowly crossed his lips.

"That all you got?" He asked slyly, suggestively raising an eyebrow.

With a growl of annoyance, Tifa shoved him harshly against the grimy brick wall. "You've barely scratched the surface..." She replied, and feverishly pressed her lips against his.

...One week later, with Tifa...

Needless to say, the fight in the alley hadn't made things better for Tifa. Now, she _really_ couldn't stop thinking about him. Whenever Cid would start smoking, she would have to walk away, and go hide somewhere. It was so stupid!

Stupid Reno...he sucked...

Of course, not litterally... That had been her job. He'd just been using his fingers...

She felt like some cheap whore afterwards, too. Reno was dirty, wrong, and bad. She was supposed to be good, pure, and right. That stupid boy was just screwing everything up!

This was probably bad... Tifa was contemplating screwing the enemy. That was usually considered bad, wasn't it? Yeah, probably...

Damn it! He was probably expecting more from her next time, too! She didn't _want_ to give him more!

Ok, that was lie. She wanted him to make her scream out his name, and screw her senseless. That wasn't an option, though...

Because Reno was bad, and wrong, and sexy, and- Damn it, no! He was _not_ sexy! Reno was stupid, with his lame, anti-gravity hair...which was surprisingly soft. Kind of like silk...

With a heavy sigh, Tifa let her head fall foreward onto the kitchen table. Her life was pretty much a black abyss, right about now. She _really_ hoped his was, too. It would serve the bastard right.

...With Reno...

Ok, the whole alley thing hadn't exactly worked. It was supposed to get her _out_ of his head, not deeper into it. She'd felt so damn good in his arms, though. He hadn't wanted to let her go, but he also didn't want to risk getting caught by Rude. He would've gotten hell for that.

Getting a blow job from an enemy in a dark alley of Midgar was probably a bad thing, wasn't it?

Damn it all.

It'd felt so right, when he was doing it, like that was exactly where he was supposed to be. He wanted more, too. Reno hadn't wanted to stop. He'd been fully ready to screw the former bar-maid into the brick wall until she screamed his name.

Reno growled in annoyance, and placed a cigarette between his lips. As he fumbled to light a match, a curse fell from his mouth. He needed to get another lighter, because, really, matches sucked.

When Elena barged into his office, she raised a curious eyebrow in question. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

Reno looked up from his place on the floor, a pile of burned-out matches in front of him. Cigarette still in his mouth, he loudly mumbled, "I'm tryin' to light my damn cigarette!"

"What happened to your lighter?" Elena questioned, closing the door behind her. Without an invitation, she took a seat on the leather couch to the right.

His cheeks tinged pink at the thought of Tifa, and he shook his head dismissively. "I lost it..." He muttered defensively, and lit another match. Before he could bring it to touch the end of the cigarette, it blew out.

"Damn it!" Reno shouted, throwing the cigarette to the ground, and stomping on it with his boot. Elena rose a delicate eybrow, but kept silent as her partner took a heavy seat beside her.

He covered his face with his hands and groaned. Somehow, this was Tifas' fault. No, this was _actually_ her fault! She had his damn lighter! Of course, he'd been the one to give it to her... Alright, so it was his fault...again.

"Lemme guess," Elena said, taking his pack of cigarettes and set of matches, "Girl troubles?" She shot him a knowing look, and quickly lit the cigarette with the match. After taking a puff, she handed it over to Reno.

Reno took it begrudgingly, and glared at her. What the hell? Did she have some kind of radar, or something? After inhaling the acrid smoke, Reno exhaled and replied, "It's none of yer damn business, Elena... Besides, yer a blabbermouth."

With a roll of her eyes, Elena pushed herself off of the couch, and stretched her arms over her head. "Well, _that_ wasn't obvious. And I _so_ know how a to keep a secret," She retorted, glancing back at him, "You wanna talk about it?"

He idley gnawed the but of his cancer stick, and flicked his eyes towards his female co-worker. "Why the hell would I wanna go and be all buddy-buddy with you?" He leaned his elbow against the arm rest, and leaned his head into his hand.

Elena shook her head with a chuckle, and pushed herself off of the couch. "So, if you're denying that it's girl troubles, what else would it be? Avalanche? You're not still sore about that girl getting away from you, are you?" Elena questioned, stretching her arms over her head.

Reno sighed heavily, and removed the cigarette from betwixt his lips. "Something like that..." He muttered. The female Turk glanced over her shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow, but didn't question further.

"Whatever that means... Oh, by the way, Rufus wants to see you in his office." She said, and walked out of Renos' own office. Once more, the red-head was left alone to ponder upon a certain brunette.


	3. Month Two

**AN/ Oh, yeah. New chapter for everyone. What d'ya think so far? Have I got your attention yet? I really hope so! Just a reminder, this fic goes backwards and eventually leads up to the prolog.**

**Distractions**

**Month Two**

Good god… How long had it been since she'd last seen him? Two weeks? Three? Damn it all, she didn't know! All she knew was that she missed him… Stupid Reno!

That damn Turk had somehow managed to worm his way into her brain, and comfortably take up residence there. It didn't matter what she was doing, or who she was with; her thoughts always turned to him.

As Tifa was gnawing viciously on her lower lip, she didn't notice the young ninja sneaking up behind her. Yuffie raised an eyebrow in question as Tifa stared blindly at the burning food. Reaching forward, she moved the pan off of the burner, and stared hard at Tifa; the older woman hadn't even blinked.

"Tifa…"

No response.

Furrowing her brows, Yuffie shook the womans' shoulder and said again, louder this time, "Tifa! You ok?"

Tifa shook her head, successfully clearing it of all thoughts of Reno, and turned her head to Yuffie. "Huh? What? I'm sorry, what'd you say?" Tifa questioned, and her eyes instantly fell to the burnt chicken she was making.

"Crap! I burnt it!" Tifa whined, poking at the crispy chicken with a fork. She shook her head and sighed heavily. "Damn it all…"

Yuffie rested her hand on the older womans' shoulder, and gave her a sympathetic look. "Tifa, are you feeling alright? You seem distracted."

Tifa let a bitter laugh tear from her throat and rubbed her temples. "You could say that…" She muttered, and walked over to the kitchen table. Heavily, she plopped down into a hard, wooden chair; Yuffie followed suit.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked, putting her head in her hands.

Tifas' eyes trained on the grainy wooden table, studying the unique design that all wood carries. "There's a guy…" She began slowly, and when Yuffie shot her one of those 'I-know-exactly-who-you're-talking-about-so-just-come-out-with-it' looks, Tifa shook her head.

"Not Cloud. It's someone else… But this guy! He's just so… He's like the forbidden fruit. I know I shouldn't like him, but I can't help it. I want him so bad, but I know I can't… I just don't know what to do, Yuffie!" Tifa ranted, throwing her hands into the air. With a heavy sigh, she let her head drop down to the kitchen table.

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, and replied simply, "Screw him."

Tifas' eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she almost violently shook her head. "No, no, no. I couldn't do that, Yuffie. That would be _really_ bad. Like, un-understandably bad. Couldn't do it…" She said, though deep down, she wanted to… a lot.

With a roll of her eyes, Yuffie shook her head slowly. "I'm tellin' you, Teef, it's the only way you're ever gonna get him out of your head. If you've got it bad- and trust me, you do- then sex is gonna be the only way to solve your problem."

Looking hopeful, Tifa questioned softly, "Really? Just like that? Screw him and I'll never think about him again?" Her voice was lightly traced with disbelief.

Yuffie waved her hand dismissively. "Of course! Well…most likely…" She answered, and pushed up from the table. Folding her arms behind her head, and turned to walk out of the kitchen.

"Just go get laid, Tifa. It'll make you feel better." Yuffie concluded simply, and exited the room.

With a heavy sigh, Tifa knew that she probably wouldn't be able to resist him next time they met. Reno was just too addictive to quit that easily. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew his lighter and flicked it open.

As she stared into the orange flame, all that came to mind was how soft his hair was. A soft smile slowly spread across her lips. She wanted to see him so badly…

...With Reno...

With his hand poised almost perfectly still, Reno gently placed the playing card down. When the card tower didn't collapse under the newest weight, Reno breathed a sigh of relief. As the breath left his mouth, the triangle-shaped tower fell onto his desk top. Only two cards were left standing, held up only by leaning against the other.

"Damn it all!" He shouted, pushing away from his desk in anger. The cards were supposed to make him concentrate, and it had worked…for the first five minutes. All he'd been thinking about for the past hour was _her_.

That damn woman!

Tifa.

She was all he could think about, and it was driving him batty. He was _supposed_ to be working, but to work, he needed to concentrate…which Reno couldn't seem to do… All Tifa was, was a distraction. A really hot distraction that he wanted to screw into a wall, mind you, but a distraction all the same.

With a heavy sigh, Reno pulled out his new lighter from his pocket, and flicked it open. As he watched the flame, he came to a sudden realization; he needed to get good and drunk, and stay that way, for at least a day.

He pushed himself out of his chair, and strode out of his office, flicking the lighter closed as he did so. Reno shoved his hands into his pockets and nearly ran into Rufus on his way down the hall.

"Yo, boss! I need a vacation!" Reno said upon seeing Shinras' Presiden.

Rufus raised an eyebrow in question, and held out a manila folder to Reno. "You forgot to sign your name at the bottom of this report. Now, why do you need a vacation?"

With a heavy sigh, Reno rolled his eyes and begrudgingly took the folder from Rufus. He opened it up, and quickly scanned it over. After stealing a pen from Rufus' jacket pocket, Reno signed on the dotted line, and handed the folder back to Rufus.

"Can't concentrate…at all. If I don't get out of here, I'm gonna go crazy. I just need a week off, and then I'll be back to normal." Reno replied, running his hand through his flaming locks.

After looking over the folder once more, Rufus snapped it shut, and glanced over at Reno. "I thought something was up. Fine, take off for a week. I expect you to come back and be ready to work." The president answered, and turned to walk away.

Reno sighed in relief, and practically skipped out of the Shinra building. With that, he was off to Gold Saucer.

...Three days later, with Tifa...

"Cloud…why are we here again?" Tifa asked in confusion, folding her arms across her ample chest. Her eyes wondered over the Gold Saucer in wonder and amazement. It was really a lovely place…for a casino.

With a heavy sigh, Cloud glanced over his shoulder at his childhood friend. "We need a break, Tifa. Everyone's exhausted, including you. Just take some time to relax, ok?" He replied, and walked through the front door.

Yuffie giddily tugged the other woman along, gabbing all the while about the things she planned to do. Tifa, on the other hand, simply wanted to head down to the bar and drink away her sorrows, a.k.a. Reno.

"Well, you have fun, Yuffie… I'm off to the bar." Tifa said, and pulled away from the younger girls' grasp. Turning to Cloud, she asked, "Are we staying in our usual set of rooms?"

As soon as their leader nodded, Tifa took off to bar to get completely drunk off of her ass. Yes, this was going to be a good night. Passing out dead on her bed sounded like fun to Tifa.

When she walked into the bar, her eyes instantly fell on his blue-clad back and fire-like hair. Tifas' mouth fell open, and she quickly glanced behind her to see if any of her friends had followed. Seeing no one but her shadow, she gulped back her fear, and waltzed over to him.

Nonchalantly, she sat down beside him, and ordered a Vodka Tonic. Renos' jaw dropped down, and his cigarette fell from his lips to land on the floor. Tifa turned her head to him, and flashed him a dazzling smile. When the bartender placed her drink in front of her, Reno slid the appropriate gil towards the man before Tifa had the chance.

"Thanks…" She murmured, and quickly downed her drink.

Reno let a chuckle tear from his throat as he slowly shook his head. He took another sip on his beer, and let his eyes freely roam over her body. "So, what are you doin' here? Don't you do-gooders have some good that you need to do?" He asked, and took another drink.

Tifa let a bitter laugh escape her lips as she shook her head. "Apparently not… Cloud says we all need a break, so here we are. What about you? Don't you have mayhem that you need to create?" Tifa replied, running her fingers through her hair.

"Needed a vacation. Lately, I've been a little…" He paused, letting his eyes rest on the swell of her chest, and continued, "Distracted…"

With a smirk tugging at her mouth, she took his beer, and poured the rest of it down her throat. Setting the now empty bottle back on the counter, she stood up from the bar stool and stretched her arms over her head. "What room are you in?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Reno furrowed his brows in confusion, but a look of realization quickly crossed his face, ending in a satisfied smirk. He fished one of two key cards for his room out of his jacket pocket, and handed it to her. "304…" He replied, the smug smirk not once leaving his face.

When Tifa plucked the key card from betwixt his fingers, Reno quickly grabbed her wrist with his other hand, and pulled her into his arms. She feverishly pressed her lips against his, giving him a small taste of what was to come.

Teasingly, Tifa ground against him as she pulled her mouth away, and shoved the key card in her skirt pocket. "I'll meet you there in an hour…" She murmured against his lips as her fingers wound themselves through his soft hair. A soft smile played across her lips as his fingers gently caressed the bare skin of her abdomen.

With that, she pulled out of his arms and walked out of the bar, swaying her hips as she went. Reno quickly ordered another beer, and downed the entire bottle in one gulp. Taking a deep breath of the stale air, Reno ran his fingers through his hair.

In one hour, he was going to be screwing the enemy… Woo hoo!

...With Tifa...

Oh, dear god…

What in the _hell_ was she thinking when she'd asked for his room key?!

This was bad. This was _very_ bad. She had just promised to meet Reno in his room in an hour to screw him silly. Yes, Tifa was in deep shit. And yet…she couldn't help but be excited…

Time to find Yuffie. Yuffie would help her get out of this mess, wouldn't she? She had to! It was Yuffies' stupid advice that had convinced her to do that…!

…Right…?

Maybe it wasn't Yuffies' fault… Maybe Tifa was the one to blame for all of this. After all, it was her who had spoken first, at the bar. When she saw him sitting there, she could have just walked away…

But she didn't.

Tifa had sought him out…

Screw it! She was going to find Yuffie!

...With Yuffie...

Biting her lip in anticipation, Yuffie leaned farther over the rail, clutching her ticket like it was her only life-line. That stupid bird-brain had better run faster, or she was gonna be a thousand gil lighter. As her winning bird passed the finish line, Yuffie jumped into the air, and hugged the random stranger standing next to her.

"I won! I won! Yay for me!" She shouted in complete and utter joy. Releasing her captive, Yuffie skipped over to the ticket line to receive her prize money. Time to go buy that new Time materia she'd been eyeing...

"Yuffie! I need help!" Tifa shouted, gaining the younger girls' attention.

The ninja turned towards her, and cocked her head to the side in confusion. Wasn't Tifa supposed to be off getting plastered? "Tifa, what's up? I thought you were heading to the bar for tonight?" Yuffie questioned.

With quickly darting eyes, Tifa mumbled, "I have a problem..." Yuffie gave her a look that told the older woman to continue. With a deep sigh, Tifa added, "You remember that guy I told you about a few weeks ago? Well, he was at the bar... And...I kind of ended up with his room key, and a promise to be there in an hour..."

Shrugging, Yuffie asked, "Then, what's the problem? You said you couldn't get him out of your head, and this is one way to clear it. As long as your bra and panties match, and you shaved your legs, you're good to go, right?"

Tifa quickly shook her head. "You don't get it, Yuffie. This guy...he isn't exactly someone I should be getting involved with! I-I know it's wrong, but I just can't help it..."

Sighing, Yuffie pulled a sucker out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and stuck in Tifas' mouth to keep her quiet. Tifas' eyes widened in shock, but she didn't remove it. Yuffie placed her hands on her hips, and said, "Listen, Tifa. You're a grown woman, and you're asking a teenager on advice for your sex life. You realize that, right?" At Tifas' nod, Yuffie continue.

"Good. Now, what I'm telling you is to screw the guy. If you like him this much, just do it, and walk out afterwards. Don't stay the night in his room. Just get up, after your done, and come back to our room. It lessens the conection, in my opinion. It's one thing to have a one-night stand, and quite another to wake up next to them. So, just have sex, and be done with it."

Yuffie then removed the sucker from Tifas' mouth, and stuck it between her own lips. With that, she turned to receive her gil, and walked off, leaving the older woman to stare after her in wonder. Tifa nodded to herself, and went off to find Renos' room.

...Later that night, with Reno...

Blue was pretty much his favorite color. Of course, seeing it on Tifa was in the form of bra and panties was bordering on heaven. Seeing them both on his hotel floor was even better. She'd fallen asleep in his arms when they'd finished, but Reno hadn't been able to.

Three hours later, he sat in a chair across the room, smoking yet another cigarette. Usually, smoking helped him calm down. Today, that wasn't really working out too well for him.

Reno sighed heavily, and let his head fall back against the wall. The sex had been amazing, probably the best he'd ever had, but he just couldn't seem to settle down now. It was driving him crazy, too!

He shook his head to clear it, and tapped out his cigarette in the near-by ash tray. That done, he let his eyes slide closed in an attempt to find some kind of sleep. Probably wouldn't happen, though...

With a low groan, Tifa rolled over in bed as her eyelids fluttered open. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around the room for Reno. Upon seeing him dozing in the chair, a small smirk tugged at her lips; he still wasn't wearing anything.

God _damn_, he was sexy...

Quietly, Tifa removed herself from the messy sheets, and tip-toed over to the spot in front of him. When he didn't even flutter his eyelashes, Tifa straddled his lap, and passionately placed her lips against his.

Renos' eyes quickly widened in momentary shock, but the soon slid closed and let his hands slide through her long, silk-like hair. When they pulled away for breath, Reno mumbled, "I love your hair."

With a smirk, Tifa leaned down again to capture his lips with her own. Before long she was moaning loudly and calling out his name for the entire hotel to hear. But neither of them cared. At that moment, all the two cared about was the carnal desire to satisfy each other.

God, she was gonna be _so_ soar in the morning...

...Next morning, with Tifa...

Stiffling a yawn, Tifa quietly cut her pancake into small squares. The others all looked exhausted as she did. Of course, they probably weren't _nearly_ as sore as she was. How many times had she climaxed last night? Oh, hell, she didn't remember, but it was a _lot_.

"So, I take it you couldn't sleep either, Tifa?" Cloud asked, and took a bite of eggs. Tifas' eyes widened for a milisecond, thinking that somehow, they'd all figured out what she'd done.

Calmly, she replied, "What are you talking about, Cloud?" Tifa quickly shoved a piece of pancake into her mouth, and glanced around guiltily. She'd just had sex with the enemy...mulitiple times!

When Yuffie giggled, Tifa shot the younger girl a murderous look. Turning a smile to Cloud, she cocked her head in mock-confusion.

"Oh, come on! You _had_ to have heard Reno and his latest floozy last night. They were moaning and groaning all night long!" Cloud replied, giving her a skeptical look. Yawning loudly, he covered his mouth with his hand, and shoved a sauage link down his gullet.

A blush quickly spread over her cheeks as she realized why everyone looked so tired. They had heard Reno and her! How embarrassing was that? She quickly looked down at her plate of food and gave a small shrug.

With a chuckle, Yuffie gave a large wink, and offered up a retort in Tifas' stead. "Tifa was _busy_ last night, Cloud, if ya know what I mean."

The crimson color on Tifas' cheeks darkened and she punched Yuffie in the shoulder, while hissing out the younger girls' name in annoyance. "Yuffie! That's _really_ not something we need to share at the breakfast table!"

All eyes of the Avalanche group were now on Tifa. They couldn't help wondering who she had been with, after all. Yuffie looked at Tifa sheepishly, and scuffed her foot on the floor under the table. She mumbled an appology, and quickly excused herself.

With a heavy sigh, Tifa begrudgingly shoved a piece of pancake into her mouth to pardon her from any questions that might follow. Nobody said a word about Yuffies' little outburst.

...A few hours later, with Reno...

When Reno finally woke up that morning, it was practically noon. With a groan, he rolled over to find a note placed on the pillow. Covering a yawn with his hand, he looked it over quickly.

_Last night was great, but a one-night stand is all I want this to be, ok? I had fun and all, but we're just too different for there to be anything more. Just wanted to clarify things before I left. _

_Tifa_

_P.S. We're still enemies, Reno._

"Harsh." Reno muttered groggily as he read the last sentence, and quickly added, "But at least we're on the same page..." With that, Reno rolled out of bed, and pulled on his clothes.

There would be no more thinking about Tifa Lockeheart, no sir-ee!

So...why could he still smell her perfume...?


	4. Month Three

**AN/ Oh, yeah, chapter 3 is here! Really, I don't have much to say, so, here it goes! **

**Distractions**

**Month Three**

Ok, really, she'd meant what she wrote in that note to Reno. Really, she had! Only, it hadn't exactly worked out that way… The crew had been in Midgar, and Tifa had been left behind (again!). Ever since Yuffie had mentioned her wild night of fun to the entire gang, Cloud refused to take her with him on missions. So, she was left on the Highwind…with Vincent…

Yeah, he was _great_ company…

So, she'd gone for a walk. Just a simple, harmless little walk, which she'd planned to return from A.S.A.P. Turns out, though, that Reno likes to take harmless little walks through Midgar, as well.

They ended up at his place.

Tifa leaned her head back against the soft pillow, and growled in annoyance. Once more, she tugged at the pair of handcuffs clasped around her wrists that trapped her on the bed. Reno had left her, to go get a package of cigarettes.

Damn him to hell!

When she heard the front door click open, Tifa sighed in relief, and smiled. She really needed to get back to the ship soon. Everyone would start to wonder again. She was already sure Cloud thought she was some cheap whore. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but suddenly stopped.

"Reno? You here?" Called a deep masculine voice

That _definitely_ wasn't Reno.

Shit… What was Rude doing here??

Tifa was suddenly _very_ glad that Reno had closed his bedroom door, but that didn't help her much when Rude would decide look behind door number one. Oh, what a surprise he'd get, too.

This was bad… Very, _very_ bad…

Where the hell was Reno?!

Biting her lip in agony, Tifa listened closely as the heavy boots made their way to the door. When the door knob turned, she heard the front door click open again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tifa let her eyes slide closed when she heard the front door slam shut.

Renos' eyes widened when he saw his partner standing outside his bedroom door, and he dropped his bag to the floor. Placing himself in front of the door, Reno smiled up at his mysterious partner.

"Rude, buddy. What are ya doin' here?" Reno questioned, leaning against the door frame.

Rude raised an eyebrow in question, and replied quietly, "Rufus wants to know when you're coming back to work…"

Reno sighed heavily, and said, "I'll be back in tomorrow, ok? Now, um, I've kinda got company in there, so we'll have to talk later." Reno quickly motioned his partner out of his apartment and into the hall, without as much as a 'good bye'.

Running his fingers through his hair, Reno picked up his grocery sack again, and walked into his room. Tifa was right where he left her, only this time, she was glaring full-heartedly at him.

"Ok, maybe hand-cuffs weren't such a great idea, after all." Reno admitted as he pulled out the key from his pocket. Tifa replied with another glare. As soon as the cuffs were off, Tifa pushed him back on the bed with a smirk.

Before he could even smirk, Tifa had cuffed Reno to the bed, and stolen the key. "No, they were a great idea, Reno." Tifa finally replied coyly as she unbuckled his belt. "They just look better on you." With a smirk of her own, she tugged his pants down around his ankles, and straddled his hips.

When she'd gotten back to the airship, all heads turned to Tifa and she gave them each a quizzical look when they didn't look away. She raised an eyebrow, and demanded, almost harshly, "What are you all staring at?"

Yuffie suddenly burst out laughing hysterically as she pointed to belt loop. All eyes once more fell to the object in question and Tifas' widened in horror; the handcuffs were firmly clasped around her belt loop.

That _bastard_... So, that's what he was doing when he was giving her that farewell hug! Ohhh, she'd get him back; yes, she would... And it would be painful.

...One week later, with Reno...

Dear god… What had Tifa done to him…?

He'd just… What in the hell was wrong with him?! Even Elena knew something was off, and that girl was about as observant as a box of crayons!

She raised her eyebrow in question as she glanced over her blue-clad shoulder. Reno…was holding the door open for her… It was kind of freaking her out.

Reno quickly let go of the door as if the handle burned his hand, and he looked down at the offending appendage in horror. Maybe he was possessed, or something… That would explain his sudden lapse in judgment, wouldn't it?

Yes, possession would _definitely_ explain why he was screwing the enemy on the side, and being nice to Elena. Maybe he should find an exorcist…?

...A few days later, with Tifa...

Did people frown when a hero screwed one of the villains…multiple times? Probably. Tifa was betting that there was some unwritten rule about it somewhere in the hero handbook. She'd look it up, if she could, but it was most likely shoved up Clouds' ass at the moment…

Crap! Insulting the leaders' sense of righteousness was probably a no-no, too!

Tifa sighed heavily as she lay intertwined in Renos' limbs, and let her eyes slide closed. She would stop if she could, but he was so damn sexy! And not to mention, he pretty much showed up in every town they were in… It was too hard to stay away from each other when they were so close.

Glancing over at a clock, Tifa saw that it was already creeping over into the early hours of the morning. She lightly kissed him on the cheek, and slid out of bed. Really, Tifa didn't want to leave, but she'd made a deal with her friends; she'd always come back before sunrise, in case they needed to leave.

As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she glanced over at Reno once more. She should just end it now, before he could hurt her, but she just couldn't handle it. Reno had come to mean so much to her, and letting go of him would kill her.

Running her fingers though her hair, she glanced over at him to see him wide awake, and a pang of guilt stung at her heart. How could she even think of leaving him?

"Going already, babe?" He mumbled, putting an arm around her waist as he sat up. When he pulled her into his lap, he rested his head on her shoulder. "You're supposed to wake me up before you go..."

With a smile, Tifa cupped his cheek without looking at him, and leaned back into his embrace. "I just woke up myself. I was just planning some devious tourture method to get you up, but now you've ruined it..." Tifa replied softly, and craned her head back to place a kiss on his cheek.

Reno suddenly reached forward, and fumbled around in his desser drawer for a moment until he found what he was looking for. "Close your eyes." He whispered in her ear, and she obliged, her curiousity peaked.

With a chuckle, Reno brought out a thin gold bracelet with two hearts dangling on the end. He quickly fastened it around her wrist, and told her to open them again. When she looked at the bracelet, Tifa was forced to choke back tears.

It was possibly the most beautiful piece of jewelry she'd ever owned. She looked down at it lovingly as it hung around her wrist, and suddenly wrapped her arms around Renos' neck in a fierce hug.

They'd had sex multiple times before. Hell, it was practically the only thing they did together.

What followed, though, was the first time the two ever made love.

It was also the first time they forgot about protection...

...Later that night, with Tifa...

"Wow..." Yuffie murmured, catching Tifa by the wrist to stare at the bracelet, "This is _so_ pretty...! Where'd you get it?" The younger girl was amazed, to same the least. That bracelet had to have been at least ten thousand gil, from the looks of it.

With a blush, Tifa pulled her wrist back to her chest with a smile. "He gave it to me..." She replied softly, and looked away from Yuffies' questioning eyes.

Yuffie was the only one Tifa had told what she was doing to. She still left out the name of that person, though. There was absolutely no way in _hell_ Tifa would tell the young ninja. Yuffie was sweet and all, but that girl couldn't keep a secret to save her life. The good thing was, Yuffie understood.

Even though she pried, Yuffie really didn't care who Tifa went to see, night after night. She was just happy to know that there was someone out there who cared about Tifa.

Yuffie whistled in appreciation, and couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of it. "That's a mighty expensive present, you know..." Yuffie commented, giving Tifa a knowing smile.

Turning her eyes to the ground, Tifa said, "He didn't actually say it, but...I think he loves me, Yuffie... And I think I love him, too..."

Yuffie shook her head with a smile gracing her lips. "I think you were in love before you realized it, Tifa. I've known you were head-over-heels since the Gold Saucer. Don't know why it took _you_ so long to figure it out..." As she turned away from the older woman, a tinkling laugh escaped her throat.

...With Reno...

He was such a damn sap...

What the hell was he thinking when he gave her that bracelet?! Trinkets like that showed commitment, which wasn't what was going on. Nope, not at all. No commitment here. Check your dialing, 'cause you've got the wrong damn number!

He just, ya know, hadn't slept with anyone else...since their first kiss...

Ok...he was commited...

Damn it all to hell!

Reno sighed heavily and burried his head in his hands. This was really bad... Commitment to Reno was practically a ring on her finger...which could _definitely _not happen, by the way. That was probably against company policy, or some shit like that...

This was wrong, on so many levels... He should break it off now, before Shinra found out, and had him killed. Or worse...they would kill Tifa...

Reno quickly shook his head to clear it of the image of her lifeless body. It was a job they'd send the Turks after, too. Elena and Rude would be the ones to end her sparkling existence...

Wait... 'Sparkling existence'? Where the _fuck_ had that come from?! That thought had been _way_ too sentimental for Renos' liking. Ok, he was getting desperate... He needed someone else's opinion on this situation, and he needed it _now_, damn it!

Reno wheeled himself over to his desk via rolly chair, and pressed a button on his phone. He could practically _feel_ himself sinking to a new low... God, asking for help sucked...

"Yes, boss?" Elenas' perky voice questioned over the intercom.

"Elena, I need you in my office, pronto!" Reno commanded, trying to sound stern, so she'd hurry her ass over here.

"Right away, boss!" Elena replied, and was standing in front of him in less than a minute. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Reno motioned to the couch for her to take a seat. "Elena, answer me seriously... If I tell you something, can you swear to keep it a secret?" Reno questioned, running his fingers through his hair. Elena nodded silently, though slightly confused.

"Good..." He murmured, and let his shoulders slump forward in defeat, "I've been sleeping with Tifa Lockeheart..."

Elenas' eyes widened in shock, and her jaw fell open. "Wh-what? Sir, you've got to be kidding! She's part of Avalanche, for God's sake!" Elena shouted, jumping to her feet to pace in front of Reno.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Reno replied harshly, his mouth curling in a sneer. He tugged as his fiery locks of hair until they threatened to pull free, and let his head fall unceremoniously onto his desk. Quietly, he added, "I don't know what to do, Laney..."

Sighing quietly, Elena sat on the edge of his desk, and looked him over. Honestly, he looked like shit. "If you really like her, Reno, then you've gotta break it off... If Rufus finds out about her, he'll have someone follow you to find her, and then he'll kill her. Don't you get it? You stay with her, and she dies. Do you want that to happen, Reno?" Elena questioned, cocking her head to the side. She knew she was being harsh, but it was the only way to get the point across.

"Laney, you don't get it... I think...I think I might love her... Not the temporary, 'I'll forget you next week', but the forever kind. I don't _want_ to let her go..." Reno explained, looking up at his female partner.

Elena ruffled his hair like he was a child, and said, "Everyone knows something's up with you. Everyone can see the change. It's little, but it's there. Rufus will notice, too. You're far more distracted than usual, and...he'll find out."

She slowly got up from his desk, and walked back out of the door to her own office. Reno stared after her in utter depression...

Because Elena was right.

He had to end it...

...Three weeks later, with Tifa...

It'd been almost a month since she last saw him, and she'd been irratible with everyone, with the exception of Yuffie. Hell, she'd almost strangled Cloud the other day, when he said something about how she didn't go out anymore. Yuffie ended up having to tackle the other woman to the ground. Needless to say, emotions were running high on the Highwind.

For the past week, Tifa had been sick to her stomach, too. She'd been throwing up left and right, regardless of where they were. It was really quite annoying, in her opinion.

Once again, she found herself hunched over the toilet, retching out her guts. Yuffie stood behind her, holding back the other girls' hair. When Tifa finally stopped, she dropped down to her knees on the bathroom, and leaned her head against the wall.

"I don't know what the hell's wrong with me, lately..." Tifa mumbled, letting her chocolate brown eyes slide closed.

Yuffie cautiously sat down beside her, and quietly suggested. "Tifa...maybe you're pregnant...?"

Tifas' eyes quickly shot open, and she shook her head. "No, that can't be it. We-we were always safe. We always used-" Tifa started to rant, but suddenly stopped as she remember the last time they'd been together.

"Except for last time..." She whispered in realization, and burried her head in her hands. "What am I gonna do?"

With a heavy sigh, Yuffie set her mouth in a grim line, and replied, "I know you don't wanna tell me who it is, but I think you need to. I swear to you, Tifa, I'll help you, but... I've gotta know what I'm getting myself into, first."

A harsh bark of laughter tore from Tifas' raw throat as she looked up at the younger girl. "Promise you won't hate me?" She questioned softly. When Yuffie gave a small nod, Tifa continued. "I've been sleeping with Reno..."

Yuffies' eyes widened in shock, but the young ninja said simply, "Oh."

Tifa smiled to herself, and murmured, "You know, he's really not that bad... He's actually really sweet, and I know he really cares about me..." Holding up the bracelet still clasped around her wrist, her eyes misted over with tears.

"But I haven't seen him in almost a month... I don't think he wants to see me anymore..."

...Two days later, with Reno...

He was going crazy. It'd been almost a month since he'd seen her, and he was losing it. Reno kept on telling himself he only wanted to see her so he could end it, but deep down he knew he was lieing to himself. It worked out better that way.

Of course, he couldn't put it off for much longer. It was probably killing her, too. He'd have to end it soon.

With a heavy sigh, Reno opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a palm-sized circle. He clicked it on with the button on top, and a small map of the world appeared. A small glowing dot blinked continuously in Rocket Town. He clicked it off, and pocketed the small locater in his jacket.

Quickly he strode off out of his office, and took the elevator down to the parking garage. He then drove off to the Chocobo Ranch, where he stashed his Gold Chocobo. It would only be a few hours before he arrived in Rocket Town.

...Later that day, with Tifa...

Waiting for repairs to be finished sucked. Tifa was bored out of her mind, and she didn't want to sit around Cid's house, waiting with the others. With a heavy sigh, she glanced out the window, and swore she saw a head of flaming red hair. Standing up, she dragged Yuffie out of the house, saying, "Come on, let's go shopping."

"Tifa!" Yuffie whined, dragging her feet as they went, "I'm _tired_... Come on, don't make me go..."

When they were both outside, Tifas' eyes quickly scanned the crowd for him again as she quietly replied, "I saw him. Reno's here..."

Yuffie bit her lip and kept quiet as she followed obiently behind Tifa. After looking for over half an hour, Tifa gave up and plopped herself down beside the materia store. "You can go, if you want. I'll come back later..." She murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Without a word, Yuffie left. She knew Tifa just needed to be alone for awhile.

With a heavy sigh, Tifa rested her head on her knees as tears silently tracked down her cheeks.

...With Reno...

Just as he was about to walk into the shop, he heard her sob, and it nearly tore his heart out. Cautiously, Reno walked over to the alley beside the shop and her sitting there, head burried in her arms, and crying. Reno silently sunk to his knees beside her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. He completely forgot that he was there to put an end to it all.

When Tifa looked up at him in realization, a smile slowly pulled at her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, peppering him with kisses. "Reno, I missed you so much..." She murmured softly against his skin.

"I know, babe. I missed you, too." He replied quietly, and pressed his lips harshly against hers. Tifa braced herself on an elbow, and brought her other hand up under his shirt to run along his well-toned chest. He sighed against her mouth, and Tifa wasted no time in slipping her tongue inside.

Renos' fingers ran through her long hair with one hand, while the other stroked the creamy white skin of her thigh.

"Tifa..." A soft, unemotional voice said suddenly.

The two lovers instantly pulled away from each other and looked up to see Vincent Valentine towering above them. Tifas' cheek instantly colored, and she pulled down the hem of her skirt, which had ridden up. She stood up and pulled him aside.

"Y-you can't anybody, Vincent, please..." Tifa begged, fisting his cloak in her small hand. Vincents' cold eyes glanced down at her hand, and she instantly let go of it. Her eyes shifted down to the floor in embarrassment, but Tifa suddenly looked up again with more determination.

"Please." She said again, firmer this time.

Vincent glanced down at Reno, who was still sprawled out on the ground, and then back at Tifa. "I have no personal grudge against the Turks. It is no business of mine what you do in your free time." He replied steadily.

Tifa sighed in relief and her shoulders sagged under the weight of her secret. She should've known that Vincent wouldn't mind... He really was a good guy, underneath it all. "Thank you..." She murmured, appreciation showing in her eyes.

Vincent nodded curtly, and turned away to walk back out of the alley. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, "By the way, Cloud is looking for you." With that, he rounded a corner out of sight.

"That was close..." Reno said as he stood up, dusting off his pants. Tifa quickly turned to press a bruising kiss against his lips and smiled.

"Meet me at midnight outside the Highwind. I need to talk to you..." She whispered, and walked briskly out of the alley way.

With a heavy sigh, Reno let his weight sag against the grimy wall of the alley. That wasn't exactly what he'd meant to happen... He was supposed to end there, but when he saw her...

God damn it all! He'd just have to do it tonight...right when he saw her.

And then, everything would finally go back to normal...

...Right...?


	5. Months Four and Ten

**An/ HEY! YOU SHOULD READ THIS! Ok, so basically, after the last chapter, that's when the first chapter occurs. So, technically, we're up to normal time again, and we get to find out what happens after Reno dumps Tifa. Woo hoo!**

**Distractions**

**Month Four**

By the time everyone woke up the next morning, their kitchen had been turned into Tifas' own personal bakery. Her eyes were red and watery, but she refused to let another tear slip down her cheek. When everyone gathered for breakfast, Tifa gave them each their own small cake to eat.

You see, when Tifa was upset, she tended to cook…a lot.

Cloud raised an eyebrow when she set down a Strawberry cake down in front of him, and dared to be the first to ask. "Um…Tifa? Is everything alright?"

The girl quickly turned away to fetch Barrets' cake, and shakily replied, "Of c-course. What makes you think anything's wrong? I'm per-perfectly fine, Cloud. So, don't worry about me, because I can take of myself. I don't need anyone else to make me complete, I ju-just need m-meeeeee!!" Tifa suddenly burst out into tears, and sunk to her knees in the middle of the kitchen.

Everyone's eyes widened and they all looked between each other, waiting for someone to jump forward and comfort her. With a gulp, Yuffie slowly stood up from her seat, but before she could move to go to Tifa, Vincent scooped up the sobbing girl in his arms and walked off down the hall. Without a word, Yuffie followed behind him and opened Tifas' bedroom door for him.

The rest of Avalanche simply stared after the three in confusion.

When the door closed behind them, Tifa started rambling. "He's so stupid! He couldn't just stay and listen to me; no, he had to be all stupid, like he is! I _never_ should have trusted him. Yuffie, why didn't you stop me? W-wha-ha-hayyyy??"

Vincent gently set the crying girl down on her bed, and Yuffie sat down beside her. Tifa laid her head down in Yuffies' lap sniffling. The young ninja smoothed down Tifas' messy hair with a small frown. "You wanna tell me what happened in coherent sentences?" Yuffie asked softly.

Tifa furiously wiped at her tear-stained face and murmured, "He snuck onto the Highwind last night to see me. I had planned on telling him about the baby first off, but we just got carried away."

Vincents' eyes widened at the mention of this, and Tifa brought a hand to cover her stomach. This was an interesting turn of events...

"Then, he-he told me that we were only a distraction to ea-each other, and we couldn't do our jobs like this… He said we couldn't do this anymore! A-and then, h-he just left, Yuffie! He just…left me…" She wailed, "He didn't even give me a chance to tell him!" With a heart-wrenching sob, she wrapped her arms around Yuffies' torso and stayed there.

Yuffie looked up at Vincent with pleading eyes, but neither of them could think of a thing to say.

When Tifa finally calmed down a bit, she mumbled softly, "I don't know what to do, you guys... I don't want the others to know about Reno and me, or the baby..."

"We'll think of something. Don't worry, Tifa... Why don't you just take a nap? You don't look like you've slept in awhile..." Yuffie replied softly. With a small nod, Tifa scooted away, and clung to her pillow, letting her eyes slide closed.

Quietly, Yuffie and Vincent left the room, and Yuffie pulled the gunman into her own bedroom, next door. With a heavy sigh, Yuffie said, "We need to think of something, Vince! We've gotta help her!"

Wordlessly, Vincent pulled his gun from its holster and cocked it at the ceiling. Yuffies' eyes widened and she shook her head. "You wanna shoot her? I really think that's going a little overboard, don't you?" Yuffie demanded, incredulously.

Quirking an eyebrow, he replied calmly, "I was actually refferinging to Reno..."

With a nervous laugh, Yuffie scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah, I knew that! I was only joking! But, no! We can't do that; she head-over-heels for that damn Turk. If we killed him, she'd only be sadder..."

Yuffie plopped down on her bed dejectedly, and stared down at her clasped hands. As Vincent re-holstered his gun, he commented, "You have a house in Wutai."

Looking up with renewed hope, a grin broke out across young face. "She could stay there, until she was ready to face the others! Vince, you're a genius...!" She sprung forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck. When he didn't return the embrace, Yuffie dropped back down to the ground with a blush coating her cheeks.

Coughing to fill the awkward silence, Yuffie looked down at her shoes, and then mumbled, "We can't leave her alone, though... And if she just went off on her own, the others would wonder. I can go with her, and say that's there's some cerimony that I need to attend, or something. I'm good at lieing; I'll come up with something."

"Of course. It's a good plan. I'll go and inform the others about this." Vincent said stoicly, as if nothing awkward had happened between them. He quickly exited the room and left Yuffie to her thoughts.

...A few hours later, with Tifa...

Angerly, Tifa sat up in her bed, and pushed her pillow away from her chest. It still smelled like him, after two days of just sitting there. She shakily stood on her feet and rubbed her face with her hands. He just wouldn't get out of her head.

It was like he was still there, whispering things in her ear.

_"Close your eyes." _

Tifa sagged back against her wall, and determinedly kept her eyes open. She bit her lip in agony, and ran her her fingers through her hair.

_"God, I love your hair..."_

With a cry of frustration, Tifa spun around to face her wall, and placed a solid punch to the steel hull. She shook out the pain in her hand, and stalked over to her dresser. Furiously, Tifa pulled a pair of scissors from her drawer, and began snipping chaotically away at it. When the locks finally brushed her shoulders, she threw the scissors to the ground, and sunk to her knees.

This wasn't fair.

Reno wasn't supposed to leave her like this...

...A few days later, with Reno...

He felt like a complete and total ass whole. For a good reason, too. He'd seen it in her eyes, when he told her it was over. She had looked...broken. He had been the one to break her, too... _God_, he was such a bastard!

Reno buried his head in his hands with a groan and winced as his shoulders shifted. Her nails had left marks in his back that last time they- The marks would heal eventually, and he'd get over her. She wasn't that special, anyway. Just another girl...

...So why in the hell was he still thinking about her...?

It'd been a week! Why hadn't she left his thoughts yet?! That god damned woman! She was infuriating, really. She was nosy, and bothersome, and she talked too much, and she was too sweet, and- Who the hell was he kidding?

Tifa was perfect...

Damn her, and her perfection.

...With Tifa...

"How long do you think you two will be gone?" Cloud asked, leaning up against a rock wall. According to Cloud, Yuffie and Tifa weren't qualified to walk to Wutai by themselves. Currently, they were taking a break after crossing the last bridge.

"Not long." As long as possible.

"Does Yuffie really need you with her?" Tifa needed a friend while she was going through this. She was so happy Yuffie had volunteered to go with her. Going through a pregnancy on her own didn't exactly seem like a piece of cake...

Tifa nodded, taking a sip of water. "It's important. We can't leave her alone." She had to do this. This was a big thing, after all.

"I'll let you two go the rest alone. You can manage, right?" Cloud said as he straightened his posture.

Could she? Would she be able to raise a baby on her own? Could her friends ever forgive her for sleeping with a Turk?

"Yes. We'll be fine, Cloud." She and the baby could manage on their own. Besides, she had Yuffie, didn't she? The ninja was a good friend, no matter how annoying she sometimes got...

Cloud nodded solemnly, and went back the way they had come. Tifa gave a small wave good-bye, and smiled. She would be alright...

When she lowered her hand from the wave, her eyes fell on the thin gold bracelet, still clasped around her wrist. She quickly dropped her hand down to her side, and set her mouth in a grim line. Determined, she took off the bracelet, and shoved it in her pocket.

She didn't need Reno. Tifa would be fine on her own.

**...Month Ten...**

Re-assignment sucked, period. There were no if's, and's, or but's included. And to Wutai, no less! What the hell was in Wutai, anyway?! It was just some crappy piece of land that technically belonged to Shinra.

With a sigh, Reno plopped his crossed ankles on top of his desk, and stared out the window. Wutai was boring, and it was as simple as that. There was never anything inter- Hey, what was that?

He could've _sworn_ he just saw someone run by the window. Curious, he got up from his not-so-comfy chair, and walked over to the window. Reno stuck his head out, and looked around to see the young ninja hiding from someone, with her back exposed to him. Furrowing his brows, he silently jumped out of his window and picked her up by her neck.

"Put me down, you Shinra scum!" She shouted indignantly, flailing her arms about uselessly. Yuffie craned her neck to see how had captured her, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh, great... It's you..." Yuffie muttered darkly, and folded her arms across her chest defensively; she didn't lessen her glare.

"Shouldn't ya be beggin' fer me ta let ya go, or somethin'?" Reno asked mockingly, a smirk tugging at his lips. Finally, after all this time, he'd successfully caught a member of Avalanche- and he hadn't even had to move more than ten feet!

Yuffie snorted indignantly, and kicked her foot back to connect with his crotch. Reno let out a high-pitched cry of pain and fell to his knees, letting go of Yuffie in the process.

With a smirk, Yuffie turned to give Reno the thumbs-up sign, before saying cheerfully, "That was for Tifa, ya rotten bastard!" When she turned back to leave, Yuffie ran straight into Rudes' chest. Looking up at him, the young ninja gave a nervous laugh, and added, "Have I ever mentioned how much I admire you guys? No? Well, really I do!"

Reno just smirked as he climbed to his feet. Of course, that blow about Tifa had hurt more than the kick. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he'd had no other choice... It really wasn't his fault.

More importantly, though, Reno wondered just why Tifa would tell the half-pint about their...'relationship'...

...With Tifa...

They had gotten bigger.

She'd heard that this was supposed to happen, but I mean, come on! Seriously? If they got any bigger she'd probably be so unbalanced that she wouldn't be able to walk! Stupid pregnancy. Tifa really didn't need her boobs to get any bigger... Weren't they already big enough?!

With a heavy sigh, Tifa pulled her bath robe back up over her shoulders and strolled across the hallway to her bedroom. After quickly changing into a pair of black sweat pants and a dark red tank top.

Before exiting her room, she glanced in the mirror at her appearance. For someone who was six and a half months pregnant, she didn't look too bad. Her hair now fell an inch, or so, past her shoulders, and didn't look like a psycotic hair dresser had attacked her...

That was plus, right?

Tifa slowly shook her head, as if rejecting her own question. Nothing was a plus anymore... She was lonely.

Running her fingers through her hair, she walked out of her room and let the hallway lead her to any pregnant womans' salvation; the kitchen.

Before she could pull her desired object from the depths of the fridge-the object being an onion-a harsh knock sounded on the front door. Tifa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and closed the fridge. Who could be at the door?

Her friends would have called first, right? Yes, they definitely would've called... Unless they wanted it to be a surprise. Oh, god, _please_ don't let it be a surprise! She still hadn't exactly told them she was pregnant yet...

Gulping down her nervousness, Tifa carefully cracked open the front door, and she immediantly tried to slam it shut. Before she could, Reno wedged his foot in the front door and gave her a smirk.

"Hey, babe."

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" She demanded harshly, her eyes boaring into his. In truth, though, she was so glad to see him that it made her heart ache. Tifa blinked back the hot tears that threatened to spill, and glared at the red-head in front of her.

At the sight of her glare, his smirk faultered, but he quickly brought it back, for appearances' sake. Besides, he deserved it...

"Thought ya might want this back. Found 'er sneakin' 'round the base 'bout an hour ago." Reno replied almost cheerily as he jerked a thumb behind him. Tifa looked over his shoulder to see Rude holding Yuffie up by the back of her shirt, her arms bound at her sides, and a piece of tape over her mouth.

"Put her down, _now_, Reno!" Tifa shouted, barring her teeth in a growl.

Reno snorted at her answer, and removed a cigarette from his pocket. "Ya really think it's gonna be _that_ easy, Tifa? Now, let me and my partner in, like a good girl..." He questioned rhetorically as he slipped the cigarette between his lips.

As he brought the lighter up to light the caner stick, Tifa angrily knocked it away, and quickly turned towards the kitchen, before Reno could see her swelled stomach. This was probably going to be very awkward, very soon. She intentionally rested her elbows on the island counter top, with Reno on the other side, successfully hiding her secret.

The two Turks, Yuffie in hand, followed behind her, with Rude kicking the door closed. Reno looked around in curiosity; what the hell was Tifa doing here, anyway? Shouldn't she be off with her merry band of travelers?

Tifa sighed heavily as she hung her head. "What do you want, Reno?" She questioned in a tired, quiet voice, and lifted her head, adding, "Haven't you done enough to me?" This situation sucked, and that was the bottom line. She just wanted the bastard to get out of her life, and stay out. That, or promise to stay with her forever...

Of course, _that_ was never going to happen.

Reno recoiled, as if struck, and he quickly looked away from her to stare at his suddenly very interesting shoes. He needed new laces...

Gulping down the lump in his throat, Reno looked at her with renewed resilience. "Where's the rest of Avalanche? Mr. President wants a word with yer group, 'specially after that last little stunt."

Tifa shook her head and cradled it in her hands. "Reno, I don't know what stunt you're talking about. Yuffie and I have been living in Wutai for the past six months, alright? So, why don't you just _go_?" Tifa informed him, not willing to meet his mako green eyes. They reminded her of all the times they'd shared. Running a hand through her hair, she glancing over at Yuffie, to see how she was doing; the girl looked _pissed_.

Yuffie suddenly slipped one of her arms out of its' confinement, and ripped off the piece of tape covering her mouth. "Tifa, for God's sake, just tell the little shit, so he'll leave us the hell alone!" Yuffie shouted as she ripped herself out of Rudes' grip.

With a full-hearted glare, Tifa replied with venom, "One, this really isn't your business, Yuffie, and two, what makes you think he would even care?" At this last comment, she turned her heated gaze on Reno.

Reno glanced back and forth between the two, utterly confused. What the hell were these two talking about? Besides, if it involved Tifa, he would -most likely- care! He might not show it, but that really wasn't the point...

With a roll of her eyes, Yuffie crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. "You've got to the count of five, before _I_ say it..." Yuffie warned, completely and utterly serious.

Tifa snorted in distaste and gave her one of those 'are-you-serious?' looks.

"One."

The older womans' eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped to the floor. "Yuffie, you _can't_ be serious!"

"Two."

"This is ridiculous, Yuffie! Stop it now!"

"Three." Yuffie started to tap her foot, looking pointed at Reno. Her former lover just looked confused as all hell.

"What are we, five?!"

"Four!"

"Ok, what the hell are you two talking about?!" Reno demanded, folding his arms over his chest and shifting his weight to one leg.

"Fi-"

Tifa suddenly cut off the younger girl, and stood up to her full height. "I'm pregnant, ok?!"


	6. Months Ten Through Thirteen

**AN/ Alrighty, so the is the very last chapter of Distractions, epilogue and all. Hope you enjoyed the show, and I'd love it if you checked out my other stories. Let me know what you thought, okay? **

**Distractions**

**Month Ten Continued**

**Previously, on ****Distractions**

_"This is ridiculous, Yuffie! Stop it now!" _

_"Three." Yuffie started to tap her foot, looking pointed at Reno. Her former lover just looked confused as all hell._

_"What are we, five?!"_

_"Four!"_

_"Ok, what the hell are you two talking about?!" Reno demanded, folding his arms over his chest and shifting his weight to one leg. _

_"Fi-"  
_

_Tifa suddenly cut off the younger girl, and stood up to her full height. "I'm pregnant, ok?!"_

Thunk!

Three pairs of eyes widened in shock as Reno collasped to floor in a dead feint. For nearly a minute, there was complete silence as Tifa, Yuffie, and Rude stood in the small living room, staring at the unconscious red-head. Yuffie coughed, and scuffed her bright, yellow, tennis shoe on the floor, trying to break the silence.

Rude finally stepped forward, and lightly nudged his partners' head with his foot; Reno didn't respond. "Get up, Reno." Rude said simply, giving Reno a kick in the shoulder.

The red-headed turk suddenly winced in pain, and brought a hand up to rub his sore shoulder. Slowly, he sat up, and looked around confused. "What the hell?" He muttered, and placed a hand against his head.

Yuffie suddenly burst out laughing, and Tifa quickly shot a glare in the young ninjas' direction; she didn't notice. "You- ha, ha- you feinted! Ha ha!" Yuffies' mad giggles suddenly ceased as an apple connected with her head.

"Ow!" She whined, rubbing her now-aching head, "What was _that_ for, Tifa?" Yuffie bottom lip jutted out in a pout, and she stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. "I was only trying to lighten the mood..."

Renos' mako-green eyes suddenly directed themselves to Tifa, and she couldn't find the strength to meet them. It was his own fault, really, that she hadn't been able to tell him; he should have listened to her... Why couldn't the stupid Turk ever _listen_? She shouldn't feel ashamed; it was Renos' fault.

Quickly, she brought her level gaze to meet his, and she voiced her opinion. "It's your fault, ya know. I should be out there with my friends, trying to beat Sephiroth. Instead, I'm stuck here, pregnant. I haven't even told them, you know. Only Yuffie and Vincent know..."

Reno quickly jumped to his feet, disbelieving. "You're lieing! I _can't _have gotten you pregnant! We-we were always careful! _I_ sure as hell didn't get you pregnant!" This couldn't be happening. A part of him was soaring. Tifa being pregnant with his kid... He'd always wanted kids, particuarily a boy.

...But another part of him was terrified.

His eyes flickered to Rude; if Shinra found out, Tifa would end up dead, not to mention himself. He only wanted to keep her safe...

Tifa narrowed her eyes dangerously in his direction; if he was implying she'd slept with someone else, he was toast. "The only person I've had sex with in months is _you_, Reno! Who the hell else could it _be_?! You think I got pregnant by _myself_, or something? You stupid, idiotic, moron!" She shouted, throwing her arms into the air, trying to express her point more clearly.

Gulping nervously, Reno clenched his teeth; Tifa wasn't making this any easier to hide. How the hell did he get her to shut up?! There was one way he knew how to, but... Did he really want to go there? She may never forgive him. Could he live with that...? When Rude shifted off to the side, Renos' mind was made up; it didn't matter if _he_ could live with it. It just mattered that Tifa lived...

A cold sweat made it's way down his spine as he opened his mouth to silence her. He just prayed to any god that was listening that she would know he wasn't telling the truth. "_Ha!_ Like I'm supposed to believe _that_ lie? You're a slut, Tifa. You can't be sure _who_ that babies' father is..." He said it coldly, and turned his nose up at her when he finished.

Faster than anyone could see, Tifa had rushed towards him, and planted a loud slap across his face. The tears now fell freely from her eyes, and her bottom lip was trembling. Tifa then proved that Reno wasn't the only one with words the degree of Icicle Town. "I don't know why I ever thought I could love you..."

Renos' eyes widened in shock, but Tifa was no where near finished. "You're rude, and inconsiderate; you have no idea what you do to me, Reno. Turns out you're right about one thing, though...

"All you are is a distraction; a nothing that will be forgotten as soon as you're dead. Now get out of my house. I never want to see your disgusting face again..."

"Tifa..." Reno mummured softly; how could she say that to him? She...she had loved him, and he'd screwed it up so badly; there was probably no fixing it. When he opened his mouth to continue, Tifa quickly cut him off.

"Get out of here, you Shinra scum! Get out! Get out! Get _out_!" She shoved him hard in the chest, and he fell back onto his rear; tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Reno slowly shook his head, refusing to leave; he couldn't leave. If he did, Tifa would hate him forever... He wasn't sure if he could handle that. Looking up, he met Tifas' teary eyes. "Don't make me go..." He murmured softly, adding, "I don't think I could stand it, if I left you again..."

Furriously, Tifa wiped the tears from her cheeks, and narrowed her eyes at the graveling man. What the hell was he doing...? Didn't he just call her a slut, and deny that the baby could ever be his? Just what was he trying to pull?

"You're pathetic, Reno." Tifa spat out, "I told you to get out, so just _go_ already!" Her heart really wasn't in it, though. She wanted nothing more than for Reno to say he was sorry- that the baby _was_ his- and say he would always be with her...

But that wouldn't happen...

This was no fairy tale; just some sick joke, played by the gods.

Reno swallowed back the lump in his throat; there were two options available to him. He could either do as Tifa said, and leave, or he could come clean about everything. When he saw another tear slip down her cheek, his mind was made up; he never wanted to leave her again, if he could help it.

"I...I only told you that you were a distraction, because I didn't want you to get hurt... If-if Shinra found out, they'd track me to you, and kill us both. I didn't want that to happen, Tifa! I just... I just wanted you to forget about me, and live. After seeing you again, though... I don't think I'd be able to say good-bye a second time..." Reno hung his head after he'd finished his small speech, and sighed heavily.

"But if you want me to go," He added softly, "I'll go..." Without looking at her, Reno slowly climbed to his feet, and made his way to the door.

Tifa tried desperately to blink away her tears, but it just wasn't working. Without another though, Tifa desperately flung herself across Renos' back, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "Please, don't leave me again, Reno!" She wailed helplessly, and a sob tore from her throat.

Quickly, he turned around in the circle of her arms, and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. When they parted for breath, he rested his forehead against hers and murmured, "I'll stay as long as you want me."

"How does forever sound?" Tifa questioned, her lips ghosting over his.

Slowly, a smirk tugged at the Turks' mouth. "Like heaven..."

At Yuffies' sudden sneeze, they quickly pulled apart, and looked at their perspective friends. Glancing back at each other, a feeling of awkwardness suddenly made its way into the air. That wasn't exactly one of those moments you wanted to share with your friends, believe it, or not. In fact, saying the situation was awkward was probably about as accurate as saying Vincent talked as much as Yuffie.

Tifa sighed heavily, and finally brought her eyes up to meet Rudes'; well, his sun glasses, anyway. If he was normal, he would be saying something right about now. But he wasn't. It was slightly unnerving to the young fighter; Rude always had perplexed her with his silent nature. You could never tell what he was thinking.

Or when he would do something completely unexpected.

"We'll have to report back to the president, about spotting you two." Rude said suddenly, "Of course, it was only briefly; we weren't able to capture either of you. The next day, Reno won't show up for work. Elena and I will investigate his apartment, but he won't be there. There will be a fair amount of blood, and the place will be torn apart; Reno will be presumed dead."

Reno furrowed his brows in confusion, but realazation quickly replaced it; Rude was giving him a chance to get away. Releasing Tifa, Reno enveloped his long-time partner in a giant bear-hug. "I always knew you were a good guy, Rude! Man, buddy, I'm gonna miss ya!" Reno said happily. When Rude raised a single eye-brow, Reno let the silent man go.

"We should be going." Rude said simply, and, without another word, walked out of the house.

Turning around to face Tifa, Reno lovingly placed a hand on her cheek, and murmured, "Don't worry, love. I'll be back before you know it." He pressed a swift kiss to her lips, and headed out the door, closing it behind him.

Tifa slowly sank to the floor, a giddy smile lit upon her face. She turned her face to Yuffie, but before she could open her mouth to utter a sylloble, Reno suddenly popped in the doorframe again.

"Just so ya know," He said with a devilish smirk, "I'm hopin' fer a boy!" With that, he was gone, as quickly as he had appeared.

A small frown tugged at Tifas' mouth, and she replied, even though he wasn't there to hear. "But I want a girl..."

Yuffie suddenly bursted into laughter, and it wasn't long before Tifa joined her. Really, the entire situation was ridiculous, if you thought about it. Now, there was only one problem...

How was she going to explain this to her friends?

**...Month Eleven...**

Renos' eyebrow twitched in irratation. "Ya want me ta get ya _what_?" He demanded, hoping to any God listening that he had heard wrong. Because, really, what Tifa was requesting was absolutely ridiculous.

"Pie! I want the pie that the Chocobo man makes! Have you ever had it? It's amazing! Please Reno?" Tifa replied, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

Groaning loudly, the ex-Turk slapped himself in the forehead, and turned a half-hearted glare on the woman who was carrying his child. "I'll be back in an hour..." He muttered darkly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

A broad smile worked its way across the womans face, and she clapped her hands together in glee. "You're the best, Reno! Ask Yuffie if you can take her chocobo, instead; it's faster than mine. And..." Her voice suddenly turned sultry, and Tifa wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him close, "If you can make it back sooner, I can garentee that you won't sleep a wink tonight..."

Reno chuckled at her words, and made his way out of the house he now shared with Yuffie and Tifa. As soon as the door shut behind him, Tifa ran into the living room. "Objective 1, complete!" She shouted, and began stripping down to her undergarments as she raced back to her room.

Yuffie bolted up from the couch, and immediantly began picking up the clutter that Reno had brought with him when he moved in. Tifa re-emerged from her room, now wearing a long, white sun-dress and flip-flops. "How long do we have until Dooms-hour?" She asked, grabbing Renos' mag-rod, and throwing it into her room.

Glancing back, the Ninja called, "Approximately ten minutes, if they're not early. _God_, I hope they aren't early..." Reaching under the couch, Yuffie pulled out a pair of boxers, and wrinkled her nose.

"Tifa...this is just gross... Please don't do it on the couch anymore. Your bedroom _really_ isn't that far away." Yuffie pleaded, and tossed the offensive garment towards Tifa. Tifa simply smiled sheepishly, and retreated to her room to hide them in a drawer.

"Ya know," Yuffie said suddenly, "I just can't believe they managed to defeat Sephiroth without us. I'm a little sad that we weren't there..." She stopped what she was doing, and sat back on her haunches.

The older woman appeared in the living room, and smiled sadly. "I know, Yuffs... I'm really sorry I dragged you into all this..." Tifa replied, brushing away a stray lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face.

Yuffie quickly shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Tifa. You can just name the baby after me, as repayment!" A broad grin quickly spread across her face.

"You just take that up with Reno." Tifa answered with a knowing grin; he'd been so determined that it was going to be a boy. She opened her mouth to add something, but never got to finish; the doorbell cut her off.

Giving a last look around the room, Tifa nodded to Yuffie in satisfaction. "I think we're good..." Tifa said, and bit her lower lip nervously. Here was the moment of truth.

...Her friends were going to hate her...

Yuffie inhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing pulse, bolted to her feet, and yanked the door wide open. "Chocobo-head!" Yuffie yelled affectionately at the sight of Cloud. She quickly wrapped her arms around her leaders' neck, and added, "It's good to see you again, ya big lug!"

"Good to see you, too, Yuffie." Cloud replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. That wasn't exactly the kind of welcome he'd been hoping for; well, not from Yuffie, anyways. His mako-green eyes quickly scanned the room for his childhood friend, and he could hardly contain his smile when he saw her rooting through the fridge, her back facing him.

"Tifa..."

She turned around slowly when Cloud had said her name, and smiled sweetly as she turned around to face her friends. Nanaki and Vincent, the other part of Clouds' current team, quickly shuffled in through the door. When Tifa was fully facing them, all talking ceased.

Her smile quickly dropped, and she settled her hands atop her bulging stomach. "Don't be mad I didn't tell you, guys. I...I was too embarrassed..." She said quietly, rubbing small, soothing circles over her belly; Reno did it sometimes, when she couldn't stop puking. It always helped her relax.

For a moment, nobody spoke. Cloud finally decided to ask the question that was clearly on everyone's mind. "Who's the father?"

Tifa laughed nervously, and scratched the back of her head. "You know, I really don't think that's important, right now. What is important, is that you guys defeated Sephiroth," Tifa pumped her fist in the air, and finished weakly, "Woo hoo..."

She _swore_ that she could hear the crickets chirpiing in response...

Yuffie coughed awkwardly, and walked over to the kitchen. Picking up a plate of warm cookies, she held them up, and offered cheerily, "Cookies, anyone?"

The others acted as if Yuffie hadn't said a word.

"Tifa..." Cloud pleaded, taking a step closer to her, and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you trust us?"

Tifa quickly shrugged his hand away, and replied, "Of course I do. It's just none of your business."

"There was no emergency in Wutai, was there?" Cloud demanded, his brows knitting together in realization.

Turning her back towards them, Tifa explained softly, "I couldn't risk my baby getting hurt..."

"You could have told us, Tifa." Nanaki suddenly voiced his opinion, and jumped up on the couch to make himself comfortable.

Sighing heavily, Tifa protectively wrapped her arms around her stomach. "If you knew who the father was, you'd all hate me..."

"Tifa, we could never hate you..." Cloud replied steadily.

Her only reply was a bitter laugh. Quietly, Tifa walked down the hall to her room; she didn't want to deal with them anymore. They only made her feel guilty about her relationship with Reno, which in turn, increased the guilt where Reno was concerned. She shouldn't have to be guilty for being in love...

...With the others...

"So, um, how's everyone been?" Yuffie asked in an attempt to break the silence. It didn't work the way she had hoped.

Instead of answering her question, Cloud whipped around to face her. "Who's the father, Yuffie?"

The young ninjas' eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. "It's _so_ not my place to tell you! If you wanna know, you'll have to get it outta Tifa! She swore me to secrecy, and I _keep_ secrets, regardless of what you guys think." The girl rambled, using her hands to illustrate her point further.

"This is ridiculous. There's no reason that she shouldn't trust us with this!" Cloud said angerly, and folded his arms across his chest.

Yuffie opened her mouth to retort, but the sudden opening of the front door cut her off as Reno waltzed in, staring at the floor. When he looked up, his eyes widened in shock. For a moment, everyone just stared at Reno, and Reno right back at them; stunned would probably be an accurate adjective for the situation.

Finally, someone broke the silence. That someone just happened to be Reno. "Well, fuck me sideways with a baseball bat..." He muttered darkly, and raised an eyebrow in Yuffies' direction. "Ya couldn't give me a bit of a warning?"

A helpless shrug was all the ninja could manage before Cloud tossed a glare towards her. "You've got to be joking... _Reno_?" He spit out the name with disgust clearly lacing through his voice.

Turning to the ex-Turk, the blonde added, "Aren't you supposed to be _dead_? Personally, I did a little dance, when I heard..."

Reno gave a bitter laugh, and shrugged. "What can I say? As it turnes out, I'm pretty freakin' amazing at fakin' my own death... Worked out _great_, in my opinion. Now, why don't ya go back to yer little air ship, and get the fuck outta here?" The red head gave a smug smile as Cloud began to seethe in agitation.

Cloud opened his mouth to reply, but he quickly clamped his jaws shut when Tifa appeared in the hallway. Quickly assessing the situation, Tifa swore under her breath, and said quietly, "I guess the cat's outta the bag, huh?"

"Tifa, you can't be serious! You actually slept with this loser?" Cloud demanded, jabbing a finger at Reno. Reno flipped his middle finger up in Clouds' direction as a reply.

The brunette folded her arms across her chest defensively, and said, "I told you it was none of your business, Cloud. I knew you'd get all high-and-mighty on me, so I didn't say anything. Just pull the stick out your ass and deal with it, or get out of here!"

Clouds' jaw fell open in astonishment at her words, but he clamped his jaw shut before he said something he was sure to regret. He stomped towards the exit, slamming the door loudly shut behind him. Tifa winced at the sound, and turned her eyes to the floor. "That asswhole..." She muttered.

"We should probably go after him..." Nanaki voiced after a moment of prolonged silence. Vincent gave a curt nod in his silent aproval; Cloud tended to act rashly when he let his feelings run away with him.

Tifa gulped back the tears, and nodded. "Of course. I understand. I won't blame you if none of you come back, either...so don't worry about it." Reno sighed heavily, and walked over to the woman that was carrying his child. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and kissed her cheek.

"We'll return in a few months, after the child is born." Vincent answered, and swept out of the room. Nanaki nodded his agreement with a canine grin, and Yuffie closed the door behind the two.

Yuffie bit her lip, and said, "Ya know...it didn't seem like either of _them_ hated you, Tifa..."

Tifa laughed bitterly, but agreed none the less. Suddenly, she whipped around to Reno, and demanded, "Hey, where's my pie?"

Renos' eyes widened, and he instantly edged away from the woman. "Well, ya see, Tifa, it's like this..."

"Reno, where is my damn pie?" Tifa asked again with a dangerous edge in her voice.

"Uh, well, the chocobo guy? He wasn't there. Someone said he wouldn't be back fer at least three days... Did ya really want me gone fer that long?" His mako eyes were pleading, but he already knew the answer.

Tifa promptly kicked him in the shin, and shouted, "Go back out, and don't come back until you have my pie!"

The ex-Turk paled, and vigorously nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am!" With that, he raced out of the front door, and hopped on the the Golden chocobo that was tethered nearby. A satisfactory smile spread across Tifas' lips at his actions.

**...Month Thirteen...**

Reno burst through the hospital door, grinning from ear to ear. Vincent, Nanaki, Yuffie, Cid, Barret, and Marlene all looked over at him expectantly. With a boisterous laugh, he exclaimed, "Twins! A boy and a girl!"

He litterally jumped for joy, and pulled the near-by Yuffie into a back-breaking hug. Then, he lifted her off her feet, and twirled her in a circle. The young ninja nearly fell over from dizziness when Reno set her back down, but Vincent quickly righted her.

"That amazing, Reno! How's Tifa doing?" Yuffie demanded, hopping from foot to foot.

With a broad smile, he explainend, "Well, now that she done pushing two watermelon-sized babies out of her, I think it's safe to say she's a little tired. She's sleepin' right now, but the doctors' said you could visit, if ya keep it down."

"Let's go see already!" Yuffie demanded, and tugged as many people as she could through Tifas' hospital room with her.

An hour later, the doctor had kicked everyone out, with the exception of Reno. His chair was pushed up next to Tifa bed, and he held her hand in his larger, calloused one; she had once again drifted off to sleep.

Reno grinned at her sleeping figure, and reached into his pocket with his free hand. As he pulled a diamond engagement ring out, he knew a better time to ask would never arise. He had always known that the ring was want she wanted -it ensured that he would never leave her- but he had been afraid of the commitment.

He wasn't anymore, though. Reno was looking forward to waking up beside her every morning until he drew his last breath. Sure, she could kick his ass any time she felt like it, but he had always liked indepentdent women. And Tifa _might_ be a little crazy, but what woman wasn't?

Yeah, she was a distraction, but who doesn't enjoy a distraction every now and then? Living in the real world sucked; it was full of sickness, death, and friends who hated you. What reason was there to hang onto that hurtful world? In Renos' opinion, distractions were wonderful, and Tifa was the best distraction he could ever hope for.

_**And Renos' children**_

_**Grew to be as**_

_**Annoying as he was.**_

_**Tifa only laughed at him **_

_**In response.**_

_**The End.**_


End file.
